Vancouver Whitecaps Vs. Toronto FC: Whitecaps Hammer Compatriots 4-2 In Return To Top Tier

The Vancouver Whitecaps have been away from the top tier of American soccer too long on this evidence. The franchise's first venture into Major League Soccer, hosting veterans Toronto FC, was nothing short of a resounding success. Eric Hassli got the home side off to the perfect start, opening the scoring fifteen minutes in, before Dwayne di Rosario equalized five minutes later. The goal by the Toronto captain was the 8000th goal scored in the history of the league, but the milestone didn't hold up for long as midfielder Terry Dunfield put Vancouver back in the lead in the 26th minute, hammering home a nifty feed from Davide Chiumiento.

2-1 less than half an hour into the match was only the beginning. The second half saw another flood of goals, with Atiba Harris, formerly of FC Dallas, scoring with a close range finish for the Whitecaps in the 63rd minute before Eric Hassli made it a brace with his second shortly thereafter. The 4-1 lead didn't last very long, however, as a long-range effort from Maicon dos Santos cut the lead back to 4-2 within two minutes of Hassli notching his second. Although Toronto continued to push, dos Santos' goal was nothing more than a consolation, and the Whitecaps ended the game as deserved winnings, laying down a marker to the rest of the conference.